Thursday, January 5, 2017

TAKE SOMETHING FOR GRANTED & IT WILL BE TAKEN AWAY

There are certain things most of us take for granted although in many ways we pay for the privilege of having them in our lives.

One of those things is fresh air and another is potable clean water.

At odds with both items is the desire of big business to create profit without too many regulations holding them back.

These regulations have been put in place to protect our air and water from the pollution that unrestrained big business can cause. Regulations are guidelines for the protection and cleanup of any accidental environmental mishaps caused by a wonton disregard for the safety of people and the environment. Following the rules costs big business time and money.

Hopefully we will never forget such examples of business’ disregard for human lives as the Deep-Water Oil Spill or the ongoing saga of the deadly and disgusting polluted water of Flint, Michigan.

As with most industrial accidents these two are just the tip of an iceberg in a sea of preventable disasters.

Another thing most of us in America take for granted is our health, or at least the opportunity to address and take care of any illness that threatens to take it away.

The healthcare industry, which includes everything and everyone from the family doctor to the pharmacist to the sadly ever present insurance companies who control most aspects of the above have their own costs to contend with.

They all fight for a larger piece of the pie that is our savings accounts while pointing fingers at the others and explaining to anyone who will listen that they are only doing it for our own good.

This ballet of the different factions of the industry is becoming more Camille than Swan Lake and we are becoming like Don Quixote as our Midsummer’s Night Dream turns into act 5 of Romeo and Juliet.

And speaking of the ill-fated Shakespearian pair we all have our loved ones. Nothing is more personal than our desire to be with and share our life with our significant other regardless of race, creed, color, or gender. Any law limiting our happiness in this regard should be seen for what it is, anti-human, and should be overturned for good.

So, other than helping us live longer happier lives what do all the above have in common?

Each section and others not listed is under attack by the Republican Party. The members of this political faction have been working tirelessly to limit our rights in most if not all things we have come to take for granted.

For example:

It is the sworn desire of the GOP to see to it that big business not be restrained by regulations of any sort. The absence of oversight will allow them to reap huge profits. This money can then be funneled back into the coffers of the Republicans and used to stop new regulations that may infringe upon the rights of big business over those of the individual.

The more big business pollutes the more disease and death we will encounter. Unrestrained pollution has also been shown to be a major factor in global warming and climate change. All reputable scientists agree on this point.

The result will be disastrous for our children and their children but by then those in charge now will be long gone. By that very fact it is clear they care only about themselves and not at all about the future of the planet.

Another right this strangely un-American political group wants to take away is that of our healthcare.

We pay taxes to keep our government running smoothly. And in return for our tax dollars we expect to be collectively taken care of.  This includes the infrastructure of our nations major arteries as well as our own!

When a road or bridge is crumbling some of our tax dollars must be used to repair it and when our health is failing we must be allowed easy and affordable access to the finest health care available.  Infringing on either of these should be unthinkable in any modern civilized nation, but especially in the wealthiest one in the World!

Using the fear tactic this political faction has instilled doubt in our government's ability to do anything right. But this is basically true if one of the Parties actively blocks any regulation aimed at helping citizens, as the Republicans have been doing for years.

How can we, those put-upon citizens change the direction of our country and start having government work for us instead of the other way around?

Well for one thing we can stop electing these fear mongering shills of big business. We must realize that they were elected to be public servants not self-serving hypocrites.  We must hold their feet to the fire or fire them and set those feet on a path out of government as soon as possible. And we must not sit back and think others will vote the way we wish.  Many just did and look where we are!

The bottom line and simple fact is there are millions more of us who care about our country and our children than the small but loud group trying to turn it into their own blue heaven.

Nearly 3 million more people voted for the Democratic Presidential candidate than the Republican who is being placed in the White House. But nearly 117,000,000 citizens of this country did not even vote!

If that many people don’t care about the future of this country, we may already have lost the fight.

Read, learn, get involved.

Our children are depending on you to do the right thing!

Please do not take our futures for granted.

No comments: